Target plans to add more than 130,000 seasonal workers in preparation for this year’s holiday season and about 14,000 of them will be working in Los Angeles County.

Most of the hires — roughly 125,000 — will fill positions at Target’s 1,800 stores, and another 8,000 will work at the company’s 39 distribution and fulfillment centers across the country. Five of the distribution centers are in Southern California, including one in Fontana, another in Ontario and three in Rialto. The Minneapolis-based retailer said it will also offer current employees additional hours based on their preference and availability throughout the holiday season.

This year’s numbers are up from a year ago when Target announced plans to hire 120,000 seasonal workers for the 2018 holiday shopping season, including 13,000 in Southern California.

Retailers typically boost their staffing to keep pace with the holiday shopping demands, but some industry experts say it might be tough for Target to fill that many slots with a national unemployment rate sitting at just 3.7%, the lowest in decades.

Yong Kim, CEO of Wonolo, a San Francisco-based staffing service, said flexibility is key when retailers are looking to fill seasonal jobs.

“Right now we have about 70 million under-employed hourly workers who are either working part-time or working multiple jobs to get 40 hours a week,” he said. “Companies need to offer flexibility. So instead of someone working eight hours a day for the next three months, they might want to come in for four hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while others fill in the night shift.”

Students, stay-at-home mothers and others are looking for work, Kim said, but most place a high value on schedules that are flexible.

“All of these companies, including Target, UPS, Amazon and others, are competing for the same pool of workers,” he said.

Target is looking to fill a variety of seasonal jobs for security specialists, warehouse operations workers, cashiers and food and beverage employees, among other positions. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

Job seekers for the Target positions can apply at TargetSeasonalJobs.com. The site lists a variety of seasonal openings, including a security specialist in Los Angeles, a warehouse operations worker in Woodland Hills, cashiers in Long Beach and La Canada Flintridge, a food and beverage worker in Torrance and a front-store attendant in West Covina, among many others.

The company will also host two rounds of hiring events at all of its stores from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 11-13 and Nov. 2-3.

The jobs start at $13 an hour or more, depending upon experience and the specific position being filled. The company said it’s on track to reach a $15 minimum hourly wage by the end of 2020.

Meanwhile, consumers are tapping into Target services that make shopping easier.

“Our strong second-quarter results show our guests are embracing our same-day Order Pickup and Drive Up services more than ever,” company spokeswoman Kate Eyerman said via email. “During the holidays, we plan to double the number of roles dedicated to fulfillment from our stores.”

Seasonal employees will receive at 10% discount on merchandise at Target stores and online at Target.com and a 20% “wellness” discount on fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables as well as tobacco cessation products, the company said. They will additionally have flexible schedules and the opportunity to earn holiday pay on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Kevin Smith handles business news and editing for the Southern California News Group, which includes 11 newspapers, websites and social media channels. He covers everything from employment, technology and housing to retail, corporate mergers and business-based apps. Kevin often writes stories that highlight the local impact of trends occurring nationwide. And the focus is always to shed light on why those issues matter to readers in Southern California.

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